Customer Reviews

Xpander

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, it seems that Sasha had decided to go further than just DJing and mixing and decided to start produing too. After listening to this EP, I've reached the same conclusion that I've reached when I've heard "Northern Exposure" for the first time. This guy is more than just a DJ - he's an artist.

Except the radio cut for "XPander", all of the tracks are very long (10 minutes and up) and yet do not find them boring. Instead, they really do what they were meant to do : put you in a trance. All the tracks are absolutly fantastic, and I don't think you'll find a respectable trance collection CD that doesn't have one track from this EP.

XPander has the best potential to be a radio hit, but my favorite track on this EP is "Bellfunk". Sasha is not afraid to put stop to the beats in this track, and so you get 2 minutes of a dreamy chillout sound in a middle of a really poundy track. "Rabbitweed" is a fine tune too, and Baja is a bit different, starting slowly and climbing up.

I believe that after this EP Sasha will become a very wanted person in the production studios as he is on the clubs. You should really try this EP and experience a sophisticated, non cheesy trance and progressive house sound.

People have been gushing about this EP forever, saying it is the touchstone of progressive trance. I would agree partially about that claim but as a consumer the overall value of the record is something to consider as well. Hence, I will begin my review.

First of all, this is an EP, strictly speaking - five songs (one of which is a shortened edit of "Xpander") that admittedly constitute a significant length of time. This is not a mix album, where the tracks are programmed to flow one after the other, as a live set would. Rather, this is an electronica artist EP where Sasha displays his own beatmaking and songwriting skills - which are considerable.

There are three golden tracks on this record. "Belfunk", which was used for Sasha's Northern Exposure III: Expeditions set, is the first of these. There is something to be said for a DJ who mixes up his songs with feels other than "four on the floor", as Sasha does here. There is a memorable buildup, with a simple but intoxicating flow, and a fallout which forms the core of the song. It is here that Sasha slowly builds his mix back up, starting with simple synth stabs to state the melody. (The entire phrase is 5 measures, which is an irregular length; this is likely why the phrase has a unique feel.) Sasha's memorable sense of texture and melody shine through even as he engages in intellectual exercises such as this one.

"Rabbitweed" is a more straightforward trance exploration, with a solid 4-to-the-bar beat pattern throughout. There is a decidedly foreign vibe about the piece; whether it is Middle Eastern or closer to Indian remains slightly vague, however. This is a stomper that would probably be heard in a typical club set, but Sasha's pacing and intensity keep it from delving into pop cliche.

"Baja" is the most interesting piece on the EP. It is a downtempo tune (some would call it "chill") of a type that Sasha was not known for creating. "Baja" wouldn't flow in a typical DJ set, but this is why it's interesting: it doesn't follow the boundaries and restrictions of the traditional progressive/trance tune. Make no mistake, the song grooves heavily; but is a swagger one would normally associate with Massive Attack, not Sasha. It's undeniably atmospheric, and lets Sasha show off another aspect of his craft.

So what are the detractors, then? For one, having two versions of a tune - let alone an edit - back-to-back on the same album is generally not a good idea. Some have mentioned "Xpander" as the end-all to trance epics, but this is, in my opinion, unwarranted praise - Sasha doesn't treat this with dynamics, texture, or emotional shading in the way he typically does. The core theme is strong, of course; but the ebb and flow of a great trance epic is simply not there. The beats are more simple than usual for Sasha, which may be one reason why it isn't as volatile as his other work. With the right mixing, "Xpander" could be a dancefloor anthem (actually, it is - Sasha himself used it in several of his Global Underground sets), but on a artist album, this track's overall production and lack of songwriting polish bring it down, especially in comparison to "Belfunk", which WAS treated the right way, and in the way that "Xpander" should have been. The edit merely waters down the main theme into four minutes of blah, cutting out the breakdown and buildup that this song needs to function well.

For Sasha fans, Xpander will prove that Sasha has game as far as songwriting goes. Indeed, this was a stepping stone on the way to larger works such as Airdrawndagger and his latest artist-mix album, Involver. The typical trance fan may not find this purchase one of value, but Sasha completists will savor it for the sheer bliss of hearing some of Sasha's earliest anthems in their purest, unadulterated form.

Sasha is back with a blazing CD that is reassuring that he is one of the top in his game. Picking up where Northern Exposure's "Expiditions" left off, the DJ continues to assault with dark trance that moves the soul. Listen to the track "belfunk" for a perfect example. My favorite track happens to be "baja" for the different groove it provides. All in all, Sasha has shown more growth as an artist here on this EP of shake and he shows it. Even without John Digweed behind the table, Sasha is able to evoke the same emotion in this EP as any Exposure CD to date. Buy it!

Don't let the fact this is a single fool you. The whole thing is about 50 minutes long, so it is essentially a full length album. In general, Sasha's releases are rather uneven. They range from the great first two northern exposure CDs to mostly boring colections like Ibiza. By the way, Northern Exposure 3, though boring and too repetitive for the most part, is still worth having because it does have about 40 minutes of very good music. In any case, this CD is one of the good ones. The surreal, hypnotic sounds heard on the Northern Exposure CDs are still here creating rich and subtle trance music. All the tracks are good. The two versions of Xpnader are great. Belfunk (the shorter and slightly better version of the song can be found on NE 3)expertly uses repetitive sounds to generate a lot of excitement. Rabbitweed is perhaps the best track which combines really cool beats with many interesting sound effects. although Baja is a bit slower then other tracks, it is never boring.

Wow! This album is now six years old and still rates as one of the best trance compilations ever. Sasha, even in 1999 is simply amazing as a DJ and musicion and he lets all his talents show in this release. All five tracks are awesome; in my opinion, Rabbitweed with its sinister overtones is the most underrated. This album is a must for anyone who likes either trance or Sasha.

Forget whether you're into trance, techno, chill-out, electronica/dance, Brian Eno or even Pink Floyd because this EP contains some superb tracks that defy such limiting categorisations. Featuring, in particular, two extended work-outs - Xpander & Baja - that convert waves of electronic sound into a genuinely exciting and reflective journey, this is a brilliant example of how to take an often boring and abused genre - "trance" - and turn it into something special. In the end there are only two types of music out there, good and bad... and on this record Sasha delivers some unforgettably good music.

i decided to pick this up for the hell of it, as i've heard some of sasha's remix work (bt's 'embracing the future' and chem bros 'out of control). let me say this is a damn good cd, although only having 4 tracks (5 counting the edit, but who cares) is a bit of a let down.

there is something quite funny about this cd though...as the xpander edit blasted through my speakers, i had this weird feeling like i heard the track before. then it hit me. i've heard it at every rave i've been to (4 so far). not only that, but it's featured in the wipeout 3 commercial and possibly the game (don't know, never played it...but i know sasha did the music). but it's just one of those magical tracks where it never gets old like 'halcyon & on & on' and 'o.b.e.' by rabbit in the moon. the full length xpander rocks out the house adding more to the floor every time the main loop comes back around and the it just changes *snap* like that. belfunk starts out as hard hitting trance then midway jumps into a creepy piano line with minimal percussion. in rabbitweed you can just hear the breakbeat trying to get through, but sasha manages to keep a tight a rein on it with some wicked synths. baja is quite a departure from the usual progressive trance, but as an ambient track it holds it's own

so what are you waiting for? buy it! j.

XPander has to be one of the Top Five trance songs ever as well as one of my all time faves(Saltwater--- Chicane, Silence--- Mike Koglin are two others). The opening mix while short is hard and intense. The second mix is longer and more mellow. It definitely works but doesn't reach the frenzy that Track one reaches or XPander on his live set from Ibiza hits.(That XPander is the best mix of the song I've heard). I'll admit the first time I heard Belfunk, and Rabbitweed I was totally bored and wondered what the fuss was about. Now I can't stop myself from overplaying it. If you like going on journeys while never leaving the room these two songs are for you. Belfunk flows from the first seconds of the song to its long conclusion(It's an eleven minute tour-de-force). Rabbitweed runs a tad shorter but is a bit more intense. He mixes it up perfect. After you get through the first four songs you get to Baja but I am normally so tripped out from my travels I have yet to fully grasp the meaning of the song. A beautifully flowing intermittently intense, constantly thought-evoking album.

Surpassing the mellow sounds of a minimal, chord and classically influenced Orbital, Sasha comes to life in perhaps the most demanded of all available EP and CD's on the market in the trance genre. The tracks are all expertly done to the best of the components needed for a trance "morning" set, and honestly I find difficulty in mixing them with anything but themselves. 5 STARS AND A PAT ON THE BACK!

Firstly, this single represents great value for money as it is about 50 minutes long. Secondly, and most importantly, these 50 minutes of music are the greatest that Sasha has ever put together. The two versions of Xpander are both great, although the longer version is easily the best, as the buildup is half of the magic of the song. After these comes Belfunk, a bassy, pounding tune that changes superbly halfway through before resuming the beat for the ending. Rabbitweed, the next track, is the best on the CD by far - to me it always sounds like the synthesizer is alive, with Sasha controlling its roars into a truly epic song. Finally is Baja. This is the weakest on the CD, but then it is up against tough competition and still manages to be a great song in its own right. My only complaint with it is that it is overlong (the others make up for their length with faster tempo's). Basically, I love this CD, and if you like trance music then this is a must buy.